


Favorite Place You’ve Ever Been

by dont_be_shy



Category: The Edge Chronicles, The Edge Chronicles - Paul Stewart & Chris Riddell
Genre: Drabble, Fluff, M/M, short fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:47:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23607022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dont_be_shy/pseuds/dont_be_shy
Summary: Twig realizes through pleasant conversation that Cowlquape isn’t as one-dimensional as he thought.
Relationships: Aborinus “Twig” Verginix/Cowlquape Pentephraxis, Cowlquape Pentephraxis/Arborinus "Twig" Verginix, Twape, Twig/Cowlquape
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	Favorite Place You’ve Ever Been

Once again Twig returned to the darkened passenger cabin. His apprentice sat in the same position he had left him in, knees propped up to support his reading parcel and thick overlay bundled up to his chin. Past the porthole the wind sang gently. 

Twig took off his waistcoat, hooking it on the small knobs to the side of his hammock, and likewise for his jacket and undercoat. 

Cowlquape looked up after a moment to watch him, seemingly in response to the sound of his heavy boots being tossed to the wall. 

‘Good evening, Twig,’ he said. His eyes looked tired, Twig realized. Probably from reading for so long. Twig made a sound of greeting as he grabbed the bucket of water they had been presented to wash up with. He tugged it over closer to his hammock.

After being in the sun all day, wind whipping his hair about and leaving his cheeks with splotchy red patches all over, he was in need of a rinse before bed. A meagre price to pay for the much-needed calm the ship gave him after a few months of being trapped in Sanctaphrax. 

He dipped his hands in and splashed the lukewarm water onto his face. He used his shirt to dry up afterward. Despite the unfortunate circumstances, retiring after a long day of sky-faring—even as a passenger—was a welcomed and not completely foreign feeling.

As he was drying the roots of his hair, he heard the tell-tale sound of Cowlquape letting his barkscroll roll closed. 

‘Prof- Twig?’ His bell-like voice rang. 

Twig let go of his shirt. It caught on the tip of his nose before falling back to his throat. He reclined in his hammock, ankles crossing as he propped his feet up. 

‘Yes Cowlquape?’ He wondered through a deep, content sigh. 

‘I was just wondering,’ Cowlquape began. ‘What is your most favorite place you’ve ever been?’

Twig looked at him for a moment, wondering where such a spontaneous inquiry had come from, then pondered over an answer. 

‘Well, I’d have to say mine or my father’s ship.’ He distantly recalled how often he also felt rather sad on the ship, how often he questioned even belonging there. But there was no doubt about how his heart soared in the wind, hearing the sound of the flapping sails and the creaking wood. Hearing his father’s praise had made him feel as if he were being pieced back together after a long time of being shattered. 

‘As you’ve most likely heard me speak of numerous times. I do adore the sky, Cowlquape. But I adored it more with my father or my crew...’ his mouth fell shut and for a moment they sat in silence. 

‘Well,’ Cowlquape murmured after a sympathetic glance. ‘I’d have to say here is my favorite place.’

Twig turned to him in surprise. 

‘ _Here?_ I had right imagined you’d rather be anywhere else, maybe in a library somewhere.’ 

Cowlquape thought on this for a moment. Twig felt as if his world had been flipped upside down, and completely expected him to backtrack.

‘Maybe for a while it had been,’ Cowlquape thought aloud. ‘But that was because I felt the safest there. I like being here with you the most.’ 

Twig felt the back of his neck grow hot at the confession. 

Cowlquape continued, unaware of the impact of his words. 

‘I do like the knowledge libraries bring, but, you know, as you said about the Great Shrike Slave market, I hadn’t even read about that in my barkscrolls. I’ve learned a lot from you, too. There’s something even better about having someone to learn from and experience things with, I suppose. I’ve never had that before.’ He set his barkscroll aside, craning his neck to look out of the porthole at the pink and purple hues of the darkening sky. ‘I’d say wherever you are is my favorite place so far.’ 

There was a thick silence as they both sat on the words that had been delivered. Cowlquape turned his head from the softly humming porthole, seeing Twig gaping at him in response. 

His cheeks grew warm as he realized he must have overstepped some sort of line, maybe Twig felt that they weren’t that close -not close enough to say such personal things, anyway.

‘I’ve said something strange, haven’t I?’ He said with a timid laugh. Twig placed a hand to his head and tried to decipher the meaning of Cowlquape’s words. 

‘Not strange, I just think you think too highly of me,’ Twig muttered after a moment. 

‘I disagree,’ Cowlquape replied. ‘I believe I think just the right amount of you, Twig. And I meant every word I said.’ 

Twig had never seen Cowlquape look so sure of himself before. His brow was set. Twig realized his apprentice looked rather -dare he even think it- cute with his heavy cover enveloping everything below his chin. He looked rather cozy, and his stern expression only amplified how fetching he was to Twig. 

‘Well, my dear apprentice, I _am_ flattered that you like being with me so much,’ Twig said past a laugh, his cheeks dusting pink with pride and bashfulness. 

Cowlquape tugged the cover down and reached for the mug of water next to him. 

‘If you like, you can tell me more about your father and his ship,’ Cowlquape said amiably, back to his peaceful and calm self. 

Twig let out a soft sigh. 

‘Sure you aren’t too tired?’ 

Cowlquape shook his head and barely stifled a yawn. 

‘I’m all ears.’ 

Twig laughed at him, shaking his head in defeat. 

‘I’d much rather you slept so I don’t have to pause after every sentence to give you time to yawn.’ Twig pulled his own overlay up to his chest, closing his eyes. 

‘Hmm, perhaps we can continue this conversation tomorrow, then,’ Cowlquape said drowsily. 

‘Join me on deck?’ Twig bargained, turning his head towards the other hammock. 

‘Wherever you’d want me,’ Cowlquape sighed at last, succumbing to the rocking of the ship on the wind. 

Twig watched him burrow into his hammock with something near joy nestling inside his heart. He watched until he was sure his apprentice was asleep, before turning his eyes to the ceiling. 

He didn’t know whether to take Cowlquape’s words seriously or not. For they sounded close to a confession if he ever did hear one. And Cowlquape was too innocent and non-confrontational to come right out and say something like that, so it would make sense that he had added a few words to his confession like the academic he was. 

Or maybe love wasn’t the whole of it. Perhaps Cowlquape was simply bearing the truth to Twig with no other meanings than what had been said.

Either way, Twig was content in accepting the compliments, proud to put his apprentice at ease more than The Great Library did. That was an accomplishment. 

It made hope settle in his chest, warm and fluttery. 

Tomorrow he’d ponder further. For now, he decided to rest.


End file.
